NEWS
CRUISES CANCELLED: Celestyal has cancelled two Aegean sailings as its ships remain stuck in the Arabian Gulf amid the Middle East conflict. Celestyal Discovery(pictured, top) and Celestyal Journey are unable to sail back to the Mediterranean due to the Strait of Hormuz closure. The three-night Iconic Aegean sailing, which was due to depart on March 20, and four- night Iconic Aegean, due to sail on March 23, have been cancelled. Celestyal said on Monday that all passengers had disembarked Discovery and it was “working towards disembarking the last remaining guests on Celestyal Journey”. Meanwhile, MSC Cruises said on Tuesday that all UK passengers who were on Euribia (pictured, bottom) in Dubai had returned home.
Trade reports shift in demand to ‘safer’ countries and falling sales
Juliet Dennis
The trade has reported a “noticeable shift” in mainstream holiday demand and a softening in late sales as the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran extended well into a second week. Travel agents and tour operators
said enquiries for the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East had dropped since the start of US strikes and Iran’s retaliatory attacks. “As much as we like to
“There has been a noticeable
shift in customer behaviour, with travellers increasingly opting for Mediterranean and UK-based breaks,” he said, citing Italy, Malta, Croatia and cruises as popular for new bookings. Premier Travel reported a similar
STORY TOP
reassure customers Cyprus and Turkey are perfectly safe to travel to, we’re finding customers are asking less for these destinations,” said Seaside Travel social media manager Katelyn Cook. Jonathon Woodall-Johnston,
Hays Travel chief operating officer, said demand for Easter holidays was “not at the same levels” as prior to February 28, the first day of US strikes on Iran, while cancellations and amendments had increased for Cyprus and Turkey.
travelweekly.co.uk
shift in enquiries to the western Mediterranean and alternative long-haul destinations. “We’re seeing and expect
to continue seeing [while the conflict continues] fewer bookings to parts of the
eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf, with more people opting
for the western Mediterranean, other European destinations, or long-haul locations accessible without passing through the Middle East,” said managing director Paul Waters. He warned: “While people still
want to travel, uncertainty is causing some to take longer to commit, which could push more bookings to be made even later than we’re currently seeing and, for some, lead to them deciding not to travel at all.”
Advantage Travel Partnership
said members’ bookings had “slowed slightly”, particularly for Cyprus, Egypt and Turkey, but pointed out booked Easter sales were 13% up year on year. “Destinations such as mainland
Spain, the Canaries, France and Italy remain popular, with cruise still in double-digit growth,” said commercial director John Sullivan. Inspire Europe chief executive
Lisa Henning noted softer Easter sales but said the appetite for long-haul travel remained strong, adding customers were now planning “further ahead than ever” and seeking lower deposits with “greater flexibility and lighter commitment”. Operators named the Caribbean,
South America and Africa as popular long-haul destination choices. Kuoni said customers keen to
travel imminently were choosing the Caribbean, Mauritius and Africa as well as European favourites such as Italy, Portugal and Spain. Chris Wright, Sunvil managing director, said Cyprus demand
had “softened” but reported a “noticeable increase” in interest in South America and the Caribbean. “Initially, this was driven by clients
looking to reprotect imminent trips routed through the Middle East, but it has developed into a broader shift with those regions being perceived as more straightforward travel options. As demand has moved, we’ve also seen some upward pressure on airfares,” he said. Cyplon Holidays said new Cyprus
sales had “stagnated” but existing clients continued to travel with the “odd one or two” amending trips. Managing director Harry
Hajipapas said some clients booked to affected destinations had switched to “safer” destinations for Easter. “The problem we’re having
is rerouting bookings travelling farther afield such as to the Maldives via the Gulf on Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways,” he added. Egypt operators Red Sea Holidays and Discover Egypt reported “no
discernible change in demand”. i Analysis, back page
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